Fireworks erupted around Caracas, Venezuela, as electoral authorities controlled by Nicolás Maduro announced he had won a third term.
Like so much in this election, the city’s soundtrack was orchestrated.
The opposition immediately claimed that they, not the president, had won.
But you wouldn’t know it by watching the news here.
Television screens across the country showed only jubilant crowds, draped in Venezuelan flags, dancing to cheer the president.
Nicolás Maduro still has some loyal supporters, known as “Chavista” after his mentor Hugo Chávez and the brand of socialism he created.
But their numbers are highly disputed, and the outcome of this election is far from over.
This morning, as the city came to life again, the government faced pressure from the international community and the opposition to explain its approval ratings – after the opposition had a commanding lead in opinion polls.
Some things are indisputable. As a live observer, I witnessed some of this first hand.
Long queues formed at polling stations, but only a handful of people were allowed in at a time.
This led to accusations of deliberate delay, perhaps in the hope that some would give up and go home.
When our BBC team arrived at a polling station, the organizer of the polling station received a call to say that international media were already there. Then suddenly 150 people were allowed in.
Some polling stations were not open at all, leading to protests and clashes with authorities.
There were allegations that some people working for the state, including police students, were told how to vote.
In fact, even on voting day, President Maduro’s face still appeared above some polling stations.
His face adorns nearly every street in Caracas, and his ruling party offers incentives for people to support him – providing buses to attend his rallies and handing out free food packages.
Even before accusations of obvious fraud were made, questions were raised: Was the game fair?
Opposition candidates have been barred from running, opposition aides have been detained, many Venezuelans abroad have struggled to register to vote, and many international election observers have been disinvited.
All were seen as attempts to suppress the opposition vote. The opposition is so far ahead in the polls that many analysts believe these tactics are necessary because it is difficult for the government to claim victory without appearing far-fetched.
But now that they have done so, the opposition accuses it of more specific fraud.
They claim they can only access 30% of the “receipts” printed by electronic voting machines across the country to check whether the machine’s results match those sent electronically to the election commission.
They believe this may mean there is a greater chance that electronic data has been tampered with, and claim many observers were not allowed to participate in the count.
The government disputes any wrongdoing and accuses “foreign governments” of conducting “interference operations”.
So, what happens next?
There are still many unknowns. The opposition said it would announce in the coming days how it plans to challenge the election results.
They and the international community are demanding digital evidence released by the government, detailing item by item.
It is difficult to imagine how President Maduro could avoid these calls without serious consequences for the country.
In his victory speech, he mentioned that the sanctions imposed by the United States after the last election were considered unfair.
They hit the country’s already sluggish economy. Millions of Venezuelans have fled their homes, and half the country lives in poverty.
How others respond will now be key.
The international community has been divided for some time over how to respond to Venezuela, with some governments privately acknowledging that sanctions have not “worked”, whether in terms of inspiring regime change or forcing President Maduro to hold fair elections.
They are also used by President Maduro and his supporters as an excuse for the country’s woes.
Venezuela’s future and whether it can be rebuilt matters to the rest of the world — mass migration has exacerbated a migrant crisis at the U.S. border, its vast oil reserves remain relatively unavailable, and it remains a hub for Russia, China, Cuba and Iran allies in the west.
At the same time, the opposition will not give up without a fight.
